It is with sadness that we have learned of the death of The Very Reverend Garry Dobinson in Owen Sound. He died Tuesday, 16 September 2014. It was reported that he had played the organ at the First Baptist Church the Sunday before he died.

Dean Dobinson was made a Deacon by Bishop Nock in 1981 at St John’s Church in Thunder Bay, and then ordained a Priest the following year at St Michael’s Church, Thunder Bay. After serving an eighteen-month curacy at St Thomas’, Thunder Bay, he served incumbencies in Little Current (three years) and St John’s, Thunder Bay (seven years). In 1994 he was installed as the Dean of Keewatin, where he served for seven years. In 2001, he was recalled to the Diocese of Algoma as Dean of St Luke’s Cathedral, a position he held until his retirement in 2007.

A gifted musician and military man, Dean Dobinson was an individual who aspired to high principles. ‘Respect must be earned, not demanded,’ he used to say, and he is remembered as a respected priest whose warm and engaging manner brought comfort and encouragement to all he ministered to. His obituary appeared in Friday’s Globe and Mail. Our condolences and prayers go out to his wife Jane, and their two children and families.

A memorial service will be held at First Baptist Church, Owen Sound, on Saturday, September 27, 2014 at 3 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to a charity of your choice.